Storage batteky



Patented Jan. 29, 1924.

- UNITED STATES PATENT orri'ce. j

WILLIAM H. WOO D, OF SOUTH EUCLID OHIO s'ronAoE BATTERY. 7

R Drawing.

I plate than in the usual type of construction,

of the paste may thusienahling the use-of thicker plates; and wherein the breakin r out and disinte raltion he largely or e tirely avoided, and wherein the production ofla hard; impenetrable film of sulphate shall be rendered impossible. A further object of the. invention, which is substantially the corollary oi the foregoing, is the provision of a storage battery having a very great capacity per unit'of weight coupled witha-n extremely high discharge rate with a minimum of injury to the elements, whereby such uses as .the cranking of automobile en ines can be served with batteries of r'etuced weight, size, and expense; and additional objects arid advantages ofthe intention'will become apparent as the description proceeds. In my application filed March 31, 1920, Serial No. 370,319, [described a storagebattery of the lead type wherein the lead oitide was mixed with short fibers of pulled wool, this being a generic term for wool which has been loosened from the pelt by means of chemicals and thus removed by pulling. instead of by shearing as in the usual manncr: and when the chemical used is of an alkalinc naturc. such as causti soda or sodium sulphitc, a sccondary result of thc ('ln'mi al action is the solution and removal ol' many of the exterior scales with whi h each strand is covered. \Vool or other mammalian hair having these scales thereon in their original closely adherent position is cntirely'useless for this purpose from the fact that such scales are impenetrable and do not permit any access of the chictrol rte to the surrounding parts: but upon the removal or loosening of such scales, the desir d a tion can take pla e. each strand eervfnu' US it l ttle wick to place tlic interior pml'ioasoi the plate in communication with l e l-xtcrllor liquid.

Application filed November, 1920. SeriatNo. 425,828.

In my former application I p: irticularly sug sted the use of woolwhich had been pul ed by the use of the alkaline substances above mentioned, or other mammalian hair which was treated in a likemanncr for the 'removal or thorough loosening of the scales, although I did not restrict. myselfto "such chemicals and alsorecommendetl the use of other wooimaterial's, such felters waste, and pointed out that it was not necessaryto iremove all the scales. and tlisitfoh'l and fi ie? i used wool wherein the ca'les haid -been argely broken away by mechanicali-fl j" quentl abrasion required little or no chemical treatment before use. p y Y I have discovered that mammalian hair for use in battery plates than wool whose felters waste iii" felters wool, if properly prepared or other prepared "1 a similar manner, 15 even better from some points of view that is, treated for a time with an astringent substance which shrivels the 'scalcs'ilfitl causes them to become curled away frointhe sharp prongs which lu-come interlockedf so tightly together when the product isfmatted 1 and compressed into sheets as to he practi cally untearahle. In the'bcst felts this carroting is effected by the use of incr- .curic nitrate, and the most fastidious manufacturers secure their raw material in pelt form and submlt the entire pelt. to the actlon of the mercuric salt which soon loosens 'the hair'so that it is removed by pulling and is therefore. entitled to he (dllttl pulled.

wool. Others srcurc. their raw product. in sheared form and treat it. subsequently to its removal from the p ll. and use other chemicals for up urling tlu' scales to avoid the expensive and poisonous mercury salt, By whatever process it he prepared, the

the necessary contact between the active inatcrial and the pcrvious core of the hair, While thc interlocking of the scales with such actiw material binds the samc together ulore tigthly than is possible in the absence of thusscales. The corc of such hair is highly cla tic and yiclds without breaking to the expansion and contra tion of the active um- -s:hrivelin; and curling of the scales enables bilit of l I do hair of the excessively Ill tween the paste battery plates.

terial, while, being insoluble in sulphuric acid of, any strength which is used in batteries, it reduces porosity without possieterioration. not restrict myself to the use ofqwool from the sheep or goat, or any other hair customarily used in the arts such as that of the camel, llama, beaver, mink, muskrat, coney, or coy u, but may equally employ the orse, ox, do or man, all of which are composed of t e same essential substances arranged in the same manner and are intended to be covered hereby.

However, I do not advocate the use of fine hairs, partly for the reason that their smallness interferes with their wick-action, and partly forthe reasonthat the closeness with which their scales are setrenders it diflicult to secure close contact be and core. I prefer the moderate] coarse hair of the equine, bovine, canine or umen species, but do not restrict m if thereto since common sheeps wool w en roperl treated serves excellently, and I efine t e word hair in my claims as including the epidermoid outgrowths of vertebrate terrestrial mammals.

it is not im ortant to my invention who it is that origmally treats the wool or hair or for what uses it me. have been'de signed or emplo ed before eing made into t is the same thing so far as my invention is concerned whether fresh and iinworked worsted is treated in this way for t is primary purpose or whether material is employed which was primarily deai ed for felting or even made into felt and a V rward disintegrated. As an example of my invention I take. wool or nutria which has been carroted in any customary manner for felters use, chop it to a fiber len th of one-eighth inch (more or less) an mix the same in roper proportion with the lead compound F cent, more or less by weight). The lates are then pasted, set, assembled, forme and charged in the usual manner. The lates can be made thicker than usual, will s ow a very great capacity, high rate of charge and discharge, great overc arge capacity, freedom fromsulphating, great permanence of form, and no tendency to scale or disintegrate, while the proportion of active material to grid can be much increased. I It will be understood that I do" not limit yself to the use of any one chemical or process in the treatment or carroting of the hair, wool, or other raw material, and

for example th of one per generally that I ascribe to my claims the broadest meanin that their terms will bear, reference being lied to the definitions hercinbefore contained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A composition of matter for the plates of storage batteries consisting essentially of oxide 0 lead mixed with carroted hair.

2. A composition of matter for the lates of storage batteries consisting essentially of oxide of lead mixed with animal hair whose external scales have been opened outwardly but without complete removal.

3. A late for a storage battery consisting essentia 1y of a lead compound impregnated with comminuted animal hair studded with outwardly projecting shriveled scales.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto allix my signature.

WILLIAM H. W001). 

